Dirt Worship: 4 Mountain Bikes Tested and Rated

Dirt Worship: 4 Mountain Bikes Tested and Rated

The Basics

What's with all the wheel sizes?
For eons, mountain bikes came with one wheel size: 26 inches. But over the past five or so years, 29-inch wheels have become ubiquitous. Thanks to their larger diameter, "29ers" are more stable, put more rubber in contact with the dirt, and roll over obstacles better. They're slightly heavier and don't turn quite as nimbly, but for most people they're the better choice.

How many gears is enough?
More important than the number of gears is the range—the difference between high and low. You'll see bikes sold with 2x10 or 3x10 gearing (that is, two or three chainrings up front plus 10 cogs in back). A 3x10 has a wider range and a few more gears in the middle. It's only recently that 2x10 has been an option for mountain bikes, but the benefits—lighter weight, faster shifts, and a range that works for most riders—are making it the dominant system.

What about upgrading my old ride?
Bikes used to be plug-and-play: Any part worked on any frame. Today there's a lot more integration—components and frames that only work together. This can make upgrades tricky. The upside to buying an all-new bike? Progress. Integrated systems are lighter, stronger, and more durable.

Buying Advice

A 29er with 4 to 5 inches of suspension travel and a 2x10 drivetrain will be the ideal mountain bike for about 80 percent of riders. Swap in 3x10 gearing and you cover roughly another 10 percent (people who do a lot of climbing or just like really easy gears). The remaining 10 percent are downhillers or cross-country racers, who have other very specific, very expensive needs.

Yeti SB-95

SB stands for super bike, and it's no joke. This aluminum 29er features 5 inches of rear-suspension travel that floats over small bumps and softens big ones without bouncing when you lay into the pedals. It boasts a relatively short wheelbase for agile handling, and the frame geometry places the rider back and down, a forgiving position that lets you get away with things that would normally result in a nice tumble. In the tight switchbacks and rock gardens of the Colorado mountains where we tested, it made us look like better bike handlers than we actually are.

WIRED Geometry helps you stay seated for long climbs. If this doesn't do it for you, you need a sponsor.

Giant Anthem X 29er 1

The Anthem is a proven race design reimagined as a 29er. The two-position rear shock has a stiff setting for smooth trails and an open setting for sucking up the bumps with 4 inches of travel. But toggling between them requires a yoga-like reach between your legs -- both annoying and dangerous. As long as you're in the right mode, though, the 27.6-pound Anthem is a sure handler that's a steal at this price. If you're looking for a weekend workhorse that can handle the occasional race, this would be a good place to start.

WIRED As usual, Giant kills it on price. Dialed in for high- speed handling.

TIRED Dual- mode shock should have a handlebar-mounted control—forget to use the correct setting and your amazing bike becomes awful.

Santa Cruz Superlight 29

The Superlight's venerable single-pivot suspension model has barely changed since the bike's debut in 1999. (All the other rides here have four pivots, which means three more bearings that will require maintenance.) The reason is simple: It works. And now that it's paired with 29-inch wheels, the 4-inch suspension is soft enough for daylong rides yet firm enough for racing. It doesn't climb as well as some newer designs, but a brand-new Superlight costs less than a lot of used bikes.

Pivot Mach 5.7 Carbon

There's still plenty of life in 26-inch wheels, and the Mach 5.7 lives that life to the fullest. With nearly 6 inches of travel, it shines on descents. The geometry keeps your center of gravity low, making obstacles and tricky turns seem much less daunting. Just point it and go. Pivot tends to favor strength over weight, but even though our 26.8-pound tester is no cross-country racer, it's a spry climber that can hold its own against downhill-specific rigs on descents.